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Bakersfield recently severed its animal control partnership with Kern County, amid monetary and operational arguments. The city owns what was the shared shelter on Mt. Vernon Avenue. The city evicted the county and aligned itself with the Bakersfield SPCA to run that shelter. The county moved into its own shelter on Fruitvale Avenue.

The city-owned shelter opened again for adoptions Tuesday after undergoing renovations. SPCA executive director Julie Johnson said workers "gutted the kennels down to the concrete," for example.

"People have really genuinely poured their heart and soul into making this facility amazing," Johnson said Tuesday, "and a safer and more humane place for animals to be housed."